Su Heting decided to marry her after seeing her true appearance.
But she was certain that she had never met Su Heting before their cooperation.
Su Heting's eyes were dark as ink, not a ripple of emotion in their depths. "I was captivated by your beauty at first sight. Love at first sight."
Qiao Xi had known since childhood that she was beautiful, but she was not so narcissistic as to believe she could make the commander of an army fall for her at first meeting.
She did not believe a single word Su Heting said.
Of common birth, in three years he had driven out the barbarians, reclaimed the northern territories, and now commanded a hundred thousand rebel troops—how could Su Heting be a man who indulged in women?
"Since the Prince of Jiangbei is unwilling to speak the truth, our cooperation ends here."
With the cooperation over, the marriage was naturally called off as well.
The dagger in Su Heting's hand slid from Qiao Xi's chin all the way down to her heart.
A chill rose in his eyes. "I just said, I will not permit you to have any thought of not marrying. You are so disobedient—are you not afraid I will reveal your betrayal to The Emperor?"
Having said that, he looked toward Bixiang, whose expression had already turned extremely ugly.
Qiao Xi followed his gaze, but her words were directed at Su Heting. "You're threatening me?"
Su Heting lowered his head, almost pressing against Qiao Xi, and admitted with a smile, "Yes, I am threatening you."
His posture was ambiguous.
By now Bixiang had also realized Qiao Xi's betrayal. She turned and ran—she had to get word out, to let The Emperor severely punish Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi channeled her Internal Energy, and the white silk sash at her waist flew out like a spirit snake, coiling around the fleeing Bixiang and dragging her back to her feet.
The false words of loyalty had already been passed to The Emperor through Bixiang's hands. Qiao Xi had also figured out the channel through which Bixiang communicated with The Emperor, and had no intention of keeping such a pair of eyes by her side any longer.
For the past five years, Bixiang had never ceased speaking ill of The Crown Prince in front of her, helping The Emperor corroborate her false memories.
She should have died long ago.
With a flick of her fingers, a long nail embedded itself in Bixiang's brow. Bixiang's eyes flew wide open, and in an instant she stopped breathing.
Retracting the white silk, Qiao Xi looked at Su Heting and curved her lips. "This is what a threat looks like."
Even though Su Heting had a hundred thousand troops, she—reborn with the martial arts of her past life—was not incapable of killing him.
She dared to cooperate with Su Heting precisely because she had the confidence that he would not dare expose her.
"You may be able to kill me, but the retaliation of a hundred thousand soldiers of Jiangbei would also be trouble for you.
If you and I fight, both sides suffer, and wouldn't that just benefit that dog of an emperor? That would not be good.
Better that we continue our cooperation."
Su Heting shook his head with a smile, a trace of sinister coldness in his tone.
He tossed aside the dagger, tightened his arm around Qiao Xi's waist, and with a slight exertion of force lifted her whole body up a bit, so that their eyes met.
"You are a daughter of the Qiao family. I have old ties with the Qiao family. A marriage can make our cooperation more solid."
Qiao Xi was dazed.
When she first entered the palace at age six, she had nightmares every night, and it was The Crown Prince who guarded and accompanied her all night long.
But The Crown Prince, as heir apparent, bore heavy responsibilities, and being a child himself, after several days his spirit flagged, and he was punished by The Emperor to kneel for errors in his studies.
Seeing The Crown Prince's knees swollen red from kneeling, she deliberately stopped thinking about the Qiao family and Qiao family matters. That way the nightmares at night grew fewer, and she would not drag The Crown Prince into losing sleep.
Later, she entered the Dark Agency, devoted solely to repaying kindness, and thought even less of past events—nor did anyone mention them to her.
Su Heting actually wanted to marry her because of the Qiao family?
The Qiao family had guarded Jiangbei for generations, were deeply loved by the people, and had formed many good connections—but Qiao Xi still did not fully believe this reason.
Yet inexplicably, she actually saw sincerity in Su Heting's eyes.
He said, "I want to marry you, to make you my wife."
Qiao Xi blinked.
For the first time, she seriously studied Su Heting's features.
Unlike the typical rugged and fierce generals, Su Heting had a more delicate, feminine appearance.
Every feature was exquisitely refined—fair skin, rosy lips—a face blessed generously by heaven.
A scar running down from the corner of his right eye tempered that femininity, making him appear even more handsome. Far from diminishing his striking looks, it lent him an air of wild arrogance.
Especially those phoenix eyes, with pupils so dark they seemed to hold endless depths of affection.
Those eyes reminded Qiao Xi of the Crown Prince, who had possessed the very same gaze.
The Crown Prince had always been a gentleman, strictly adhering to propriety—except once, when drunk, he had pressed a kiss to her hair and murmured, "Xi'er, grow up quickly. I want to marry you, make you my wife."
Qiao Xi's heart ached. She had grown up, but he was no longer here.
All she could do now was avenge him—at any cost!
Suddenly, those affectionate eyes were replaced by a killing intent.
Qiao Xi was sensitive to murderous aura and felt a flicker of suspicion.
But before she could think further, her jaw was seized in a vice-like grip, and a pill was swiftly shoved into her mouth.
Alarmed, Qiao Xi tried to spit it out, but Su Heting sealed his lips over hers.
The bitter pill dissolved between their lips and teeth. Despite her desperate struggle, she inevitably swallowed much of it before Su Heting finally released her.
But his neck had also been cut by the small blade hidden in Qiao Xi's bracelet, blood instantly staining his collar red.
Qiao Xi's eyes darkened. "What did you feed me?"
Su Heting wiped at the wound on his neck, his hand coming away crimson, and said in a leisurely tone, "Tongxin. As long as the Princess Consort doesn't betray this king, a monthly antidote will keep you safe.
Tomorrow is our wedding day, yet the Princess Consort casually terminated our cooperation. That makes this king feel quite insecure, so I had no choice but to resort to this measure.
Rest assured, Princess Consort, the antidote will be delivered to you promptly each month. But if this king dies, the antidote dies with me."
His blood-stained fingers traced the corner of Qiao Xi's lips, his expression unreadable. "You came to this king of your own accord, so you cannot cast me aside now.
Husband and wife, united in heart—whether we ascend to bliss together or descend into hell, the choice lies entirely with the Princess Consort."
Madman!
Qiao Xi cursed inwardly.
She must have been blind, seeing a shadow of the Crown Prince in Su Heting just moments ago.
But she also understood—because the Emperor had deliberately cultivated a false image of treating her like his own daughter, Su Heting dared not fully trust her.
"Don't be angry, silly girl. Look across all of Dayou—no one is better suited to cooperate with you than this king."
The man patted her head as if nothing had happened. "I'll give you three thousand soldiers as my bride price. From now on, those three thousand are yours."
The fury rising in Qiao Xi's heart was immediately suppressed.
She needed manpower, and three thousand soldiers was a tempting offer.
"Five thousand, and I'll solve the water shortage problem in the northern frontier."
She bargained.
In the face of avenging the Crown Prince and clearing his name, Su Heting's eccentric temperament and his reasons for marrying her mattered little—as long as he could serve as a good piece on the board.
"You're setting your sights on Liangzhou?"
Liangzhou was the Ji family's territory, bordering the northern frontier, with a massive lake that could temporarily alleviate the region's water crisis.
Su Heting asked without hesitation.
Qiao Xi knew then that he had harbored the same thought, so she didn't hide it and nodded.
The premise of using the northern frontier army to take revenge on the Emperor was that the northern frontier army had to stay alive.
Su Heting looked at her, his gaze meaningful. "Do you know that Liangzhou has fifty thousand stationed troops, and its terrain makes it easy to defend but hard to attack?"
The soldiers in Jiangbei could barely fill their stomachs at present. He had originally planned to seize the court's grain, and after the soldiers rested for a few days, he would send troops to take Liangzhou. He had not expected that this little thing would have the same idea.
Qiao Xi naturally knew the situation in Liangzhou. She had worked herself to the bone for the Emperor for many years in her previous life, and she had her own methods.
But she did not intend to explain much to Su Heting. "Just say it—these five thousand men, yes or no?"
In the end, she did not trust Su Heting either.
Su Heting's eyes glinted with cunning as he chuckled softly. "The Princess Consort has spoken up to demand betrothal gifts. How could this prince be stingy when sending betrothal gifts? Five thousand soldiers—this prince agrees."
Watching the man stride away.
Qiao Xi felt as though she had fallen into a trap.
By demanding betrothal gifts, had she not just consented to the marriage?
This cunning man…
"Are you really going to give her five thousand soldiers?"
Having finished treating Su Heting's wounds, Liang Shi, who wore a mask, said worriedly, "What if this is a conspiracy between her and the Emperor against you?"
"That grain is enough to sustain all of Jiangbei for over a month."
Su Heting said mockingly, "The Emperor would not be so generous as to use that as a ploy."
In recent years, the Dayou Dynasty had not been peaceful, and natural disasters were frequent. The court's grain stores were not abundant either.
Liang Shi realized that Su Heting had a point, but he was still worried.
He boldly probed Su Heting's expression. "Then you will really marry her?"
Cooperation did not require marriage. Before he knew that his partner was Qiao Xi, his master had had no intention of taking a wife at all.
Seeing Su Heting nod, Liang Shi said agitatedly, "But she is not worthy!"
Realizing his breach of propriety, Liang Shi quickly knelt before Su Heting.
Looking at Liang Shi, who was only around forty yet already had a head of white hair, Su Heting felt somewhat irritated. "Nine months. I will only be husband and wife with her for nine months. Not a single day more."
"Why…"
Why nine months?
Before the question was finished, Liang Shi had already understood, and the rims of his eyes instantly reddened, growing moist.